By: Steven Gansman
Hello Everyone,
Please be sure Connie Robinson, John Friend, B.J. Watts, Don Walker, have a chance to read this. I was unable to locate their email address.
The following are random thoughts concerning Robert’s Stadium, Wesselman Park, The Tennis courts and other possible uses for this area. Please understand this is not a Mayor Weinzapfel bashing or Arena hater email. Take a few minutes of your time and think about how many people can be served with a reconfiguration of the stadium and other areas in and round it. I have also sent this to Terry Clements, ETCA.
I am not a tennis player of any sorts. Have played for fun about ten times in my 43 year lifetime. I like the idea of an indoor facility to enhance the outdoor courts. I was curious if there were any thoughts given to raising the floor in Roberts stadium to a level where you could still have the minimum 35′ center court height and 20′ baseline height and still be able to get 6 courts inside (turned counter to where basketball courts were in the past. My understanding is a court would need a minimum of 120’x60′ to allow singles and doubles on each court. My estimate with a current floor of 144′ long x100′ wide with the retractable seats removed or either collapsed (unsure if which case with the bleachers) Raise the floor to a level where we could fit 6 courts crossways (compared to current basketball arrangements) and we would possibly be up to the “nose bleed” current seats. or maybe we wouldn’t have to be that high up as long as 6 courts would fit. If the floor was raised to an appropriate level for such use or even a lower floor (as long as the 6 do fit) it may open up the area to be used for other events when peek tennis season is not in session. I am sure you are aware of 12 new courts at the new North High School. This should relieve some of the current pressure of the Wesselman site. The raising of the floor would create a situation of a supreme tennis facility for this area from St. Louis, Indianapolis, Nashville, Louisville, or Cincinnati. Envision collapsable seating between the courts to create a surround for the Elite tennis players that may draw a nice crowd. Even envision new courts closer to the stadium with a tree planting surrounding the courts to create shade for those players in the mornings and evenings (east side of Stadium between the parking lot and the soccer fields with a shared food concession stand).
Envision a facility that could then be converted to other venues when the indoor courts are not reserved first. Envision with a floor that size and movable chair back seating we could possibly host a Pro Bowlers tournament, a floor that size has been converted to one or two olympic size pools and possibly a diving well for weeklong and weekend events. I have also seen a facility like Roberts converted into a huge indoor water park for a family, church, or city celebration and then host another event in a short turnaround time. I envision wrestling matches, gymnastics, cheer, possibly soccer (if height allows), track and field (height allowed – javelin), band competitions, Blow-Up events (inflatables), wedding receptions, even the home show if the logistics of the new arena don’t work out. I don’t mind the new arena location, let me be clear on this. Although, I do think Robert’s Stadium has a lot of potential as a non basketball, concert, monster truck, This is Our Story, or whatever would draw a large crowd as compared to the new Arena.
You would already have restrooms, concession stands, display cases, parking (which could be reduced and utilized by more ideas to follow), ticket entrance sales and counters. Even lighting, A/C, Heating, a great area to sell year round advertising that could transcend many events and places for select events. The “Sky Box” seats may be adjusted to a more user friendly situation. Think of the booth space that could be rented for sponsors in the current surrounding walkway areas which should not need to be as open due to fire restrictions as the seating will be adjusted. Therefore, allowing possible income through space rental. You would already have event rooms (current Stadium Club rooms) One of those rooms could be converted to locker rooms or possibly still use current locker rooms through some construction. The tunnel entrance will not have to accommodate the large vehicles as before, maybe a forklift or even scissor lifts. Even that can be altered. Think about what support you would receive if you presented a multi-use community facility instead of a single use or demolition. Watch the money come our way and watch the support, and visitors come to Evansville.
Then think of a chance to remove the current courts (new courts near stadium) and plant trees and include a water feature where the current courts are and increase the size of Wesselman woods for our children’s future.
I do appreciate your time in reading my thoughts and consider this in our (taxpayers) future community facility plans.
Think outside the box, think large and about a chance to serve many more people in our city and county.
Some other thoughts:
The opportunities for park development is endless.
Features desired in a park:
1. Rope course
2. Wildlife information stops
3. Bike rental and paths
4. Modern Restrooms
5. Rentable buildings for events- Private and public with heat and A/C
6. Climbing walls
7. exercise stations
8. Green areas – place to play lawn games: corn hole, hillbilly golf, whiffle ball, Bocce, croquet, pitch and catch, frisbee, sack-races, misc fun.
9. Sand volleyball courts (more)
10. Playgrounds – assorted small groupings close to each shelter so parents can watch their kids without leaving their family event.
11. Horseshoe pits or two ( per shelter)
12. Drinking fountains
13. Splash/water spot 12×12 is big enough for each shelter.
14. picnic tables
15. Charcoal grills and fire pits
16. Electricity access at open shelters.
I will include links of some videos from youtube and other sites that you can view to see what can be done with a multi-use facility.
More information and some videos and pictures of other ideas and examples:
http://www.astralpool.com/sites/en/Commercial_pools/Pool/skypool.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBXDQyYGmTE
Outdoor workout area – (created in cooperation with the National Gaurd and Reserve Units)
http://www.outdoorfunstore.com/commercial-fitness-healthtrek.asp
http://www.davidwilliamsassociates.com/fitness/triactive
http://www.outdoor-fitness.com/
Flow Rider pool (use at Hartke)
How Much does it cost for the smallest Flowrider stand?
Best Answer – Chosen by Voters from a random website;
Well, it took a little digging, but I think I have some
answers for you. Don’t take my word for it — check it out with Waveloch, Inc.
directly http://www.flowrider.com/
It looks that a 300 person-per-hour Flowrider:
“Capital Cost for Wave Equipment: $60,000 –
$75,000”
http://www.aquaticdesigngroup.com/
Operational costs are $25 – $40 per hour
FlowRider video:
Stadium dimensions pdf from Evansville:
http://www.evansvillecvb.org/sites/default/files/ECVB%20Meetings%20&%20Conventions%20Facilities%20Roberts%20Stadium.pdf
Do something for all of us, not a few of us. I know many softball players, and most are good people. Yet, it seems even though they play on our worn out fields on a weekly basis, nobody seems to care enough to volunteer to spruce them up.
I am no engineer or accounting major so I have no solid ideas on funding. But, If it benefits more than a few people, the funding will be more easily obtained. Maybe even some local companies would volunteer some labor or monies if they saw a project that benefited many of our citizens. A true community park and facility for the people by the people.
I appreciate your time if you have read this far.
Any response is welcome, none are expected. Unlike, when a family member emailed every EVSC School Board member and Superintendent and received not one response. Her child is no longer in the EVSC. What a shame.
Thank you,
Steve Gansman
Steven,
Thanks for taking the time to put down your thoughts and share them. What you are talking about, that is, using Roberts for a variety of activities, is something that we have been promoting for quite some time. By “we” I refer to many people who worked on the ballfields/Wesselman Park issue last summer including the Wesselman Park Support Group. We have advocated many times raising the floor to allow a great number of possibilities for uses of Roberts. This idea has been presented to Terry Clements, to the Park Board, the City Council etc, etc, and our heads were patted, and we received a patient smile while hearing that there is no money to do that, or that they didn’t want to do that, or a combination of both. The response we received is ironic because we now have the mayor saying that he will recommend that money be set aside for the 2012 budget to mothball or raze Roberts Stadium but no mention was made of using that money for fixing it up to be productive and useful for the community. There is no shortage of ideas of how to use Roberts, only the short-sightedness or lack of vision that seems to exist now. I spoke with an estimator for a large construction company early this year and he was encouraging about the idea of raising the floor and seemed to believe that the expenses would not be that great. This was about the same time that the WPSG put together a committee made up of office holders in current government (from both parties) and citizens with varying perspectives and talents to look at both uses and funding for Roberts. A huge problem with Evansville has always been lack of coordinated planning, and the tennis issue, threats to Roberts stadium and Wesselman Park, the baseball fiasco last summer and much more are examples of this. People need to speak up like you have done. Everyone concerned about the goings-on with Roberts and Wesselman need to write or email the city council, the park board, and now since the tennis association is attempting to use Convention and Visitors Bureau money for help building the new tennis courts and tennis building in Wesselman, we also need to contact the CVB. Bob Warren is the new director and he needs to hear from us. The tennis issue is being pushed hard by the tennis association so it is really the first order of business. Then we must make sure that the mayor was not talking through his hat and that he does follow through with setting money aside for Roberts to be used for what the next administration decides is appropriate. You are correct when you say that it is not productive or appropriate to bash any city officials. This is the time to be reasonable and to work together for the good of the whole. Thanks again.
These arguments that it’s, “time to be reasonable and work together for the good of the whole” is ABSOLUTELY sickening.
How quickly you progressives forget: Weinzapfel bashed Lloyd’s stadium project to get in office to begin with. (He was a stadium “hater”, long before he became a stadium pusher.)
Weinzapfel’s opaque vision for stadium bliss has been regurgitated on us all… In the midst of all the problems we already have, government should be stepping back and doing some real soul searching (INVESTIGATIONS) into Who, What, When and Where our existing projects ran foul – before figuratively loading up the tennis ball machine and aiming it at the taxpayers!
Has there been a study to determine how much it would cost to fill in the lower level of Roberts?
No study but it would be quite easy to get estimates from 3 or 4 construction companies. This should cost nothing. Good point though. The city hasn’t even bothered to do this.
The published size of the floor calculates to something like 1,600 cubic yards of concrete per foot raised. I think that would translate into something like $100,000 per foot if the entire thing was all new pour and no filler was used. Of course the higher you get the larger the surface area. At this rate and using fillers it is not unreasonable to make an educated guess that $1M should get the floor up high enough to stop the water problems and enlarge the floor size by a bunch. It would also eliminate enough seats that no one could claim competition for the new Arena.
I believe that when I spoke with a construction company this January they indicated that fill is cheaper and although other adjustments would need to be done, the cost would still be reasonable. Raising the floor opens up numerous possibilities.
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